Using pre-trained language models for database queries on unstructured data

Very interesting research done by researchers at Facebook!

"... Facebook AI has developed a new approach called neural databases, which enables machines to search unstructured data — which might range from vast collections of text to recordings of songs — similar to how traditional systems can search a typical structured database. With neural databases, it might one day be possible to run a complex query such as “What is the third-longest entry about a Russian-born novelist?” directly on Wikipedia, for example.

Neural databases bridge an important gap between the fields of databases and NLP. Significant progress has been made in using natural language queries on standard structured data. This lets people pose ad hoc queries such as “How many teams won away games by more than three points?” But these existing systems can’t query a collection of information that isn’t organized into a structured database. ..."

Using pre-trained language models for database queries on unstructured data

Neural Databases

Database reasoning over text

Geometric deep learning of RNA structure

Good news! This could be a game changer!

"RNA molecules adopt three-dimensional structures that are critical to their function and of interest in drug discovery. Few RNA structures are known, however, and predicting them computationally has proven challenging. We introduce a machine learning approach that enables identification of accurate structural models without assumptions about their defining characteristics, despite being trained with only 18 known RNA structures. The resulting scoring function, the Atomic Rotationally Equivariant Scorer (ARES), substantially outperforms previous methods and consistently produces the best results in community-wide blind RNA structure prediction challenges. ...
Because it uses only atomic coordinates as inputs and incorporates no RNA-specific information, this approach is applicable to diverse problems in structural biology, chemistry, materials science, and beyond."

Geometric deep learning of RNA structure (no public access)

Stanford Study: More Businesses Have Already Fled California This Year Than in All of 2020

Recommendable! The malaise of California! The Golden State has lost its luster! How inept politicians ruin an economy!

Stanford Study: More Businesses Have Already Fled California This Year Than in All of 2020 - Foundation for Economic Education

Denmark to scrap all coronavirus restrictions as it declares COVID-19 ‘under control’

Good news! Bravo Danes! Way to go! Like the Swedes, the Danes are far more rational in dealing with this fairly harmless SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 pandemic than most other Western countries where hysteria and alarmism ruled!

Denmark with 71% of the Danish population fully vaccinated has reached herd immunity. The U.S. and Germany also reached herd immunity some time ago.

"... Denmark did not have many measures left in place anyway—just a requirement for visitors to restaurants, bars, cinemas, and some other indoor facilities to prove vaccination, recovery, or lack of infection. It started phasing out mask mandates in June. ...
Over 71% of the Danish population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The country's seven-day incidence rate—representing known infections per 100,000 people over the last week—is currently 113, compared with 333 in the U.S., 355 in the U.K., and 77 in Germany. The country is reporting fewer than 1,000 new cases each day, and losing at most a few people each day to COVID-19."

Denmark to scrap all coronavirus restrictions as it declares COVID-19 ‘under control’ | Fortune Denmark is set to remove all its remaining measures against the spread of COVID-19—with the exception of border controls—as the government says the country's epidemic is "under control."

Neue Zweifel an der RKI-Statistik zur Zahl der Corona-Toten

Das die Covid-19 Todesfallzahlen wohl übertrieben sind ist etwa seit Sommer 2020 bekannt. U.a. gibt es auch erhebliche Zweifel, ob die U.S. Zahlen nicht zu hoch sind, weil jeder Todesfall mit Covid-19 als Covid-19 verursacht gezählt wurde.

Angesichts der vielen Fälle, werden ja auch keine Obduktionen etc. durchgeführt, um die Todesursache genauer zu bestimmen.

"... das RKI zählt schließlich einfach jeden Toten, bei dem das Corona-Virus festgestellt wurde. Wohlgemerkt „wurde“: Teilweise werden auch Tote, die vor Monaten positiv auf Corona getestet wurden, als Corona-Tote gezählt, obwohl die Personen längst wieder genesen waren und die Infektion nicht mit dem Tod in Verbindung stand. ..."

 

Neue Zweifel an der RKI-Statistik zur Zahl der Corona-Toten Die Datengrundlage, auf der die Corona-Maßnahmen basieren, ist in Deutschland von Anfang an sehr dünn. Eine neue Analyse der RKI-Zahlen zeigt, dass in die offizielle Statistik zahlreiche Todesfälle eingehen, die gar nicht in Zusammenhang mit einer Corona-Infektion stehen können.

Switzerland vs. EU: Slow, but Progressive, Deterioration

Early this year, Switzerland refused to be bullied by European Union! Although, Switzerland is closely aligned and very dependent on the European Union, it would not accept the terms of trade offered!

Now, a Swiss think tank tries to remind the Swiss that this was a major mistake! I think, the Swiss like the UK can do very well without the EU. 

Slow, but Progressive, Deterioration | Avenir Suisse Bern’s decision on 26 May 2021 to abort seven years of talks with Brussels on a new framework agreement covering relations with the European Union came as a single hammer blow. But the splinters will only gradually be revealed.

The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents: America Enters a Dangerous New Century (1899-1921)

Recommendable! However, this documentary glorifies two of the among the worst U.S. Presidents, i.e. President Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson! E.g. he signed over 1,000 executive orders. He is most responsible for the rise of Big Government! The infamous Panama Canal is another one of President TR's abuse of power! The enormous land grab (misleadingly or euphemistically called conservation in this video) to this day across many states by the federal government under President TR is another one! His Square Deal was socialism in disguise!

The 4 KEY FACTORS in AFGHANISTAN'S COLLAPSE

Very recommendable! What was the Doha agreement between President Trump and the Taliban about? How much was Pakistan involved in equipping and training the Taliban etc.? Corruption was rampant in the military and government of Afghanistan. Possibly, the biggest mistakes were made by President Bush Jr. and his Defense Secretary Rumsfeld who did not leave Afghanistan when it was most appropriate! I don't think President Obama made any serious attempt to leave Afghanistan!

Prager University: A Palestinian Explains Hamas

Very recommendable!

Tucker Carlson: They won't admit they are wrong and don't care what you think

Very recommendable! So incredible! When political and military leaders refuse to acknowledge failure ...

Tax not the robots

Recommendable! Indeed a bad idea! Even the definition of a robot is already a major challenge! Why stifle great technological progress with silly and myopic taxation!

Tax not the robots

More than 50 robots are working at Singapore's high-tech hospital

Amazing stuff! Perhaps I need to visit a hospital again! 😄

"... Singapore already has the highest adoption rate of industrial robots anywhere in the world, with 9 per 100 workers -- but that is mostly in the electronics sector. ...
That's a big concern for small nations like Singapore. With the 65-and-over population expected to jump from 14% in 2019 to 25% in the next decade, the Lion City is particularly vulnerable to the "three tsunamis" in healthcare, ... an aging population, a shrinking workforce, and an increase in chronic disease. ...
Outside of the operating theaters, other robots clean, deliver linen or food, help with hospital maintenance, aid patient rehabilitation, and even assist with lifting patients back into bed, helping reduce the "back-breaking" work that human carers take on ..."

More than 50 robots are working at Singapore's high-tech hospital - CNN

Abfall vom Atomkraftwerk in Biblis will keiner haben

Dank der SED Kanzlerin Merkel wurden die deutschen Atomkraftwerke wegen Fukushima abrupt und völlig irrational abgeschaltet. 

Nun kann selbst harmloser Schutt nicht mal mehr abgelagert werden in der an Possen reichen Bananenrepublik Deutschland!

Abfall vom Atomkraftwerk in Biblis will keiner haben Beim Abriss des Atomkraftwerks fällt Bauschutt an, der so gering strahlt, dass er rechtlich als normaler Abfall gilt. Doch Kreis, Gemeinde und Umweltverbände wollen ihn auf keinen Fall auf der Büttelborner Deponie lagern.

US Warship Transits Taiwan Strait After Chinese Assault Drills

Good news! The West made already a huge mistake to let the Communist Party of China overtake Hong Kong in violation international agreements without much opposition!

US Warship Transits Taiwan Strait After Chinese Assault Drills A U.S. warship and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, Aug. 27, the latest in what Washington calls routine operations through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from China, which claims the self-ruled island.

Ireland Stands Its Ground Against 132 Countries Who Gang Up on Its Economy

Recommendable! Stand with the Celtic Tiger against Big Government! The minimum global corporate tax rate is a dangerous instrument! Tax competition among countries is vital to keep Leviathan in check!

"Under the Biden administration’s leadership, 132 countries, including the twenty most powerful economies in the world, have all agreed to institute a minimum global corporate tax of 15 percent.

The goal of this historic “tax harmonization” initiative is to prevent “tax haven” countries from luring business away from countries with higher tax rates. ...

"We are not in that agreement," Irish Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. "I am so committed that I decided I could not enter into the agreement."

Ireland has long had a 12.5 percent corporate tax, compared to the United States’ 21 percent and the United Kingdom’s 19 percent. And this relatively low tax rate has drawn Facebook, Apple, Google, Pfizer, and many other corporate giants to set up regional headquarters or manufacturing hubs there instead of in countries with higher tax rates. ...
To understand why, imagine if the US hiked its corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 percent, as Biden wants to do. That would most likely cause even more corporations to flee the US for Ireland’s greener pastures. ...

Policies like “tax harmonization” amount to anti-competitive collusion among governments. They give governments greater monopoly power by leaving citizens with fewer options and escape routes. That also goes for super-state institutions like the EU and US federal government impositions on the states. ..."

Ireland Stands Its Ground Against 132 Countries Who Gang Up on Its Economy - Foundation for Economic Education

An underestimated negative cloud feedback from cloud lifetime changes

Scientists still do not even understand the complex phenomenon of cloud formation! This major deficiency has been well known for decades, but the general public has been kept in the dark about it.

Apparently, the climate models have for years underestimated the very significant cooling effect of clouds meaning their dire long-term forecasts (up to 100 years or to the end of the century) are garbage!

"As the atmosphere warms, part of the cloud population shifts from ice and mixed-phase (‘cold’) to liquid (‘warm’) clouds. Because warm clouds are more reflective and longer-lived, this phase change reduces the solar flux absorbed by the Earth and constitutes a negative radiative feedback. This cooling feedback is weaker in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) than in the fifth phase (CMIP5), contributing to greater greenhouse warming. Although this change is often attributed to improvements in the simulated cloud phase, another model bias persists: warm clouds precipitate too readily, potentially leading to underestimated negative lifetime feedbacks. In this study we modified a climate model to better simulate warm-rain probability and found that it exhibits a cloud lifetime feedback nearly three times larger than the default model. This suggests that model errors in cloud-precipitation processes may bias cloud feedbacks by as much as the CMIP5-to-CMIP6 climate sensitivity difference. Reliable climate model projections therefore require improved cloud process realism guided by process-oriented observations and observational constraints."

An underestimated negative cloud feedback from cloud lifetime changes | Nature Climate Change (no public access)

Israeli scientists discover how to reverse immune system aging

Don't be afraid of aging anymore! Yesterday, I blogged here about significant advances in Alzheimer Disease and other neuroinflammatory diseases.

It appears that in the next 10-20 years, we will be able to reverse many of the negative medical aspects of the process of ageing!

"“You accumulate in your body many memory cells. You are exposed all the time to pathogens, and hence you make more and more memory cells. Because these are so long-lived, there is no room left for new B cells.”

What happens when a new pathogen, such as the coronavirus, comes along? There are no young B cells that can recognize it.

That is one of the reasons why older people are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 and many other diseases.

As noted, this happens because of the body’s need for homeostasis, something that Melamed’s lab discovered a decade ago.

BUT THIS year, they took the discovery another step and figured out a mechanism to override the system.

“We found specific hormonal signals produced by the old B cells, the memory cells, that inhibit the bone marrow from producing new B cells,” ... “This is a huge discovery. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.” ...

To validate their theory ... As part of treatment for some medical conditions, such as lupus, lymphoma and multiple sclerosis, patients undergo B cell depletion, meaning a significant amount of memory B cells is removed from their bodies.

Examining older patients who underwent this procedure, the group found that their immune systems rejuvenated, and their bodies could produce new B cells again. ..."

"... In the present work, we uncover an immune-endocrine regulatory circuit that mediates cross-talk between peripheral B-cells and progenitors in the BM [bone marrow], to balance B-lymphopoiesis in both human and mouse aging. We found that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), which is highly produced by peripheral B-cells in aging, stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), which binds and sequesters insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in the circulation, thereby restraining its activity in promoting B-lymphopoiesis in the BM. ..."

Israeli scientists discover how to reverse cell aging - The Jerusalem Post A team of scientists has found why elderly people are more susceptible to COVID-19 and are working to reverse the aging process of the body’s immune system

Peripheral B-cells repress B-cell regeneration in aging through a TNFα/IGFBP-1/IGF1 immune-endocrine axis (no public access)

How President FDR Worked To Keep His Health A Secret as The Wheelchair President

Very recommendable! FDR was probably the most socialist U.S. president! His treacherous alliance with Stalin is covered in this documentary.

Besides President Wilson, President FDR became the next irresponsible president to hide his dramatically failing health from the public.  The two term limit for U.S. presidents was adopted because of FDR. Unfortunately, it was not extended to members of the U.S. Congress! Otherwise, the U.S. Senator Biden from Delaware would have timed out several decades ago!

We are reminded that the current 46th President is attempting to do the same with his hard to conceal dementia and senility! We the people still have not seen a health checkup of this president!

The history of the first pre-Inca cultures: we travel to Peru on a unique journey

Very recommendable! More mummies were found in Peru than anywhere else in the world. Nazca lines. Tomb of the Lord of Sipan. City of Kuelap. Lot's of grave robbers have been active for many years.

However, caution: There are some possibly disturbing images in this video!

Elizabeth Holmes Might Claim Abusive Relationship in Theranos Fraud Trial

These are the times we live in now. A Woman founds a company, becomes its CEO, commits crime like fraud, and then still blames a man for her crime! Nice try Mr. Holmes!

Well, women can not have it both ways! Or what kind of a "Me Too" incident is this?

"Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes could argue at her upcoming criminal fraud trial that she was in a decadelong abusive relationship with former Theranos President Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani that left her under his control during the period in which the government alleges the two blood-testing executives committed a massive fraud, newly revealed court records show. ..."

Elizabeth Holmes Might Claim Abusive Relationship in Theranos Fraud Trial - WSJ Biotech startup founder alleges decadelong controlling relationship with former partner in court filings; he denies abuse

Exercise improves Alzheimer’s Disease via hormone irisin

Good news! Exercise more! This might be a long awaited breakthrough!

"New insight into the workings of the hormone irisin shows it has the ability to spur the cognitive benefits of exercise, holding promise for treating cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, Harvard Medical School scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital have found.

In a study published in Nature Metabolism, the research team report that irisin, secreted by muscles during exercise, could be an effective therapeutic for addressing deficits of the brain that result from Alzheimer’s disease. ...
“For the first time, we showed that soluble irisin, and not its full-length parent protein FNDC5, is sufficient to confer the benefits of exercise on cognitive function,” ...
irisin, a small natural peptide, would be much easier to develop into a therapeutic than the much larger membrane-bound protein FNDC5
discovered irisin was able to cross the blood-brain barrier and directly affect the brain. ...
discovered irisin in 2012 ...
Researchers were further encouraged by the fact that irisin treatment was effective in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models even after the development of significant pathology. ...
Another important finding of the study is that irisin protects against neuroinflammation by acting directly on glial cells in the brain. ...
“Since irisin does not specifically target amyloid plaques, but rather neuroinflammation directly, we’re optimistic it could have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases beyond just Alzheimer’s,” ..."

"Identifying secreted mediators that drive the cognitive benefits of exercise holds great promise for the treatment of cognitive decline in ageing or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we show that irisin, the cleaved and circulating form of the exercise-induced membrane protein FNDC5, is sufficient to confer the benefits of exercise on cognitive function. ...
Diminished pattern separation in F5KO mice can be rescued by delivering irisin directly into the dentate gyrus, suggesting that irisin is the active moiety. ...
Importantly, elevation of circulating irisin levels by peripheral delivery of irisin via adeno-associated viral overexpression in the liver results in enrichment of central irisin and is sufficient to improve both the cognitive deficit and neuropathology in AD mouse models. Irisin is a crucial regulator of the cognitive benefits of exercise and is a potential therapeutic agent for treating cognitive disorders including AD."

Exercise and Alzheimer’s Disease | Harvard Medical School Hormone found to confer benefits of exercise on cognitive function

Exercise hormone irisin is a critical regulator of cognitive function (no public access)

El Salvador Gets Ready for a Risky Bitcoin Experiment

This will be an experiment to watch! The age of digital currency is coming!

"In less than two weeks, El Salvador will become the first country to adopt bitcoin as a national currency [and legal tender]. No one knows what comes next.
The government of the impoverished Central American nation aims to spend up to $75 million as part of a plan to hand out $30 to people who sign up to an e-wallet called Chivo, or “Cool.” That software-based system would allow an estimated 2.5 million Salvadorans to buy goods or pay for services in U.S. dollars or bitcoin, El Salvador’s two official currencies as of Sept 7. ..."

El Salvador Gets Ready for a Risky Bitcoin Experiment - WSJ Impoverished nation is defying warnings against using volatile crypto asset as official currency alongside U.S. dollar

P.S. I just learnt that a major shopping mall in Arizona hast just removed almost all ATM machines from its premises. Who needs cash anymore?

The Insane Biology of: The Dragonfly

Very recommendable! Amazing stuff!

Barack Obama won Nobel Peace Prize for 'basically doing nothing': Gideon Rozner

Very recommendable! President Obama was one of the worst presidents since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  

Here is some background on Gideon Rozner!

The $100BN Railway in the Desert of the Arabian peninsula

Wow! I don't remember ever having learnt of this massive train infrastructure project across the Arabian peninsula by the Gulf Cooperation Council!

Las Vegas is Building the World’s Largest Sphere

Wow! As they say what happens in Las Vegas stays in LV!

The French government started in May evacuating French personnel and Afghans from Afghanistan

What did the French government know, the demented and senile 46th President preferred to ignore!

See also this great time lapse video how the Taliban systematically and rapidly conquered Afghanistan province by province beginning in April.

"... Im Elysée-Palast verweist man darauf, dass Frankreich bereits Anfang Mai alle gefährdeten Ortskräfte und nicht unabdingliche Mitarbeiter der französischen Botschaft angewiesen habe, das Land zu verlassen. Damals führte dies zu Kritik innerhalb der EU und wurde als zu pessimistische Lagebewertung verurteilt. 623 afghanische Ortskräfte und ihre Familien seien zwischen Mai und Juli nach Frankreich ausgeflogen worden, teilte der Elysée-Palast mit. Zuvor seien bereits 800 afghanische Mitarbeiter wie Übersetzer und Fahrer der französischen Truppen nach Frankreich geholt worden. ..."

Here is the Google Translate text:

"In the Elysée Palace, it is pointed out that at the beginning of May France instructed all endangered local workers and non-essential employees of the French embassy to leave the country. At the time, this led to criticism within the EU and was condemned as an overly pessimistic assessment of the situation. The Elysée Palace announced that 623 local Afghan workers and their families were flown to France between May and July. Before that, 800 Afghan employees such as translators and drivers of the French troops had already been brought to France."

Afghanistan: Belgien und Frankreich beenden Luftbrücke

South Korea Raises Interest Rates, First Developed Economy in Asia to Do So During Pandemic

Good news! Perfect timing just shortly before the famous Jackson Hole Economic Symposium starts (8/27/2021), one of the most important meetings of dozens of central bankers etc. from around the world.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, many Western central banks have engaged in a reckless and irresponsible extreme low interest rate policy! Cui bono?
Western governments were able to cheaply pile up government debt! With normal interest rates, the interest payments would have eaten up a larger and larger share of public expenditure!

Hundreds of millions of savers were punished by not earning any interest on their savings!

South Korea Raises Interest Rates, First Developed Economy in Asia to Do So During Pandemic - WSJ Delta variant disrupts supply chains, but policy makers see rising household debt and inflation as bigger threats

Zinswende in Asien: Die Bank von Korea erhöht den Leitzins von 0,5 auf 0,75 Prozent Kurz vor der Zentralbank-Tagung im amerikanischen Jackson Hole setzt Koreas Zentralbank ein geldpolitisches Zeichen. Trotz erneut steigenden Corona-Infektionen verteuert sie Geld.

Staggering Costs – U.S. Military Equipment Left Behind In Afghanistan

This is a very detailed Forbes article about all the equipment that the former Afghan military received from the U.S. since 2003. It is stunning! How much did Afghanistan pay for it? 

Staggering Costs – U.S. Military Equipment Left Behind In Afghanistan

Here are just a few of the tables contained in the article:

Devadasi in Indien: Sexsklavinnen im Namen Gottes - Armut zwingt sie zur Prostitution

Empfehlenswert! Man beachte insbesondere das positive Ende des Berichts!

Schweden: Gewalt-Welle in den Städten

Empfehlenswert! Aber erschreckend was da in Schweden los ist! Weshalb da nicht härter durchgegriffen wird bei solcher Bandenkriminalität kombiniert mit Schusswaffengebrauch?

Tucker Carlson: We don't know who the Afghan refugees are

Very recommendable! How many 100,000 Afghan refugees are coming to the U.S.? All of them translators or were otherwise involved in aiding the the U.S. effort in Afghanistan?

Elvis - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Enjoy!

AAAS: Colleges must require vaccination

The prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science engages in propaganda and demagoguery in their latest editorial! Shame on them!

AAAS is a bunch of authoritarians who claim to advance science! As if a single FDA approval is justification enough for such mandates! Incredible! Shocking!

If I were about to go to college or university, I certainly would not choose any of them requiring vaccinations from all students!

"This week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for individuals 16 years and older. This milestone decision, the first full approval of a vaccine for COVID-19, will almost certainly clear a path for businesses, hospitals, and government agencies that have not already done so to adopt vaccine mandates for their employees. For colleges and universities that have been on the fence about requiring the vaccine, the FDA’s decision may be especially welcome news.

As of earlier this week, 753 campuses require the vaccination. According to a map from the Chronicle of Higher Education, most of these schools are in “blue” states. There is no doubt that COVID-19 vaccination has become politicized. ..."

Colleges must require vaccination | Science

Female hummingbirds look like males to evade harassment

That is not a bad strategy! (Caution: Irony)! 😄 Note only 20% of the species follow this strategy!

I wonder whether humans can learn from this?

"Ornamentation is typically observed in sexually mature adults, is often dimorphic in expression, and is most apparent during breeding, supporting a role for sexual selection in its evolution. Yet, increasing evidence suggests that nonsexual social selection may also have a role in the evolution of ornamentation, especially in females ..."

Female hummingbirds look like males to evade harassment | Cornell Chronicle New research on the glittering white-necked jacobin hummingbird reveals nearly 20% of the species’ adult females have male-like plumage. Why? To dodge bullies and get better access to food, according to new Cornell research.

Male-like ornamentation in female hummingbirds results from social harassment rather than sexual selection

Sturgis Rally Is What a Coronavirus Superspreader Event Looks Like! Really?

How the leftist media engage in breathless propaganda and demagoguery! Take this example from the daily newsletter of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Daily Beast!

This was not the first attempt to malign the bikers who met in Sturgis, SD!

The leftist media do not like Ms. Libertas, a.k.a. as the governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem, a possible presidential contender in 2024. She is in the crosshairs of the leftist media! Ms. Libertas continue to hold up the torch of freedom and enlightenment!

Observe how they use over 1000 percentage increase! Well, if there was one person with Covid-19 before the event, then there are now 3400 new cases. Quite possibly these new cases returned to their most likely out of state home from the event. Given 500,000 attendees or more that is far less than 1% of attendance. Possibly these numbers were inflated anyway!

"The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held August 6–15 in Meade County, South Dakota, had all the makings of a superspreader event:

More than 500K attendees

No testing

No mask requirements

No vaccination requirements in a county with only 38.3% of residents vaccinated

The aftermath:

A 3,400% increase in Meade’s 7-day case counts, with 1 in 3 tests coming back positive

Over 1,000% increases in two neighboring counties

A 686.8% increase across the state ..."

Sturgis Rally Is What a Vaccine-Era Coronavirus Superspreader Event Looks Like

Sturgis As Superspreader: ‘We Knew This Was Going to Happen’

All-volunteer team of U.S. military veterans launch daring mission in Kabul, rescue hundreds

What a story! American can do spirit at its best! When a demented and senile 46th President fails to do his job others step in!

I hope, the (possibly premature) disclosure of this operation does not jeopardize those who are participating in it. Lord have mercy!

"... "Task Force Pineapple," which over the past 10 days saved the lives of roughly 630 Afghan nationals ...

The mission reached its climax on Wednesday night when the group of volunteer veterans commenced operation "Pineapple Express" — modeled after Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad — to slowly maneuver Afghan individuals and families through Taliban checkpoints and into U.S. military command.

The mission was underway Thursday when terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS fighters at the Kabul airport left at least 13 U.S. service members and 60 Afghans dead, with hundreds more injured. Some of the task force's members were among the wounded. ..."

Report: All-volunteer team of US veterans launch daring mission in Kabul, rescue hundreds — even as American military is hamstrung - TheBlaze 'Our own government didn't do this. We did what we should do, as Americans.'

The Beatles Don’t Let Me Down (First Rooftop Performance)

Enjoy! It's a love that had no past! ... She done me good ... 

Why Is A Global Tax Rate A TERRIBLE Idea?

Recommendable!

Tucker Carlson: This is how to humiliate the US

Very recommendable! Again, some generals in the U.S. military ought to be fired ASAP! Going to war with such generals is dangerous!

African Al Qaeda Affiliates Praise Taliban Takeover All Over Africa

The Western debacle in Afghanistan may turn out to be a real booster for Islamism!

"...
Somalia. Al Shabaab drew parallels between itself and the Taliban. Al Shabaab and Somali forces are trading control of terrain in central Somalia.

Ethiopia. The warring sides in Ethiopia’s conflict are drawing in additional forces, indicating that the conflict will continue and likely spread.

Mozambique and Tanzania. A gunman killed five people near the French embassy in Tanzania’s capital. Mozambican and Rwandan security forces recaptured a strategic port city in northern Mozambique from Islamic State–linked militants.

Tunisia. Tunisia’s president extended his extraordinary powers. Salafi-jihadi groups have attempted to capitalize on Tunisia’s political crisis rhetorically but have not conducted attacks in the country.

Libya. The Islamic State in Libya claimed a third attack after a yearlong lull between June 2020 and June 2021

Sahel. Al Qaeda affiliates see the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan as a validation of their approach in the Sahel.

Lake Chad. Hundreds of Boko Haram militants surrendered to Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities, signaling the group’s continued fragmentation following the death of its leader. ..."

Africa File: African Al Qaeda Affiliates Praise Taliban Takeover | Critical Threats

Die versteckten Kosten des komplizierten Steuersystems

Was für die Schweiz gilt, trifft auch in der Bananenrepublik Deutschland mit Sicherheit zu!

"«Nichts ist sicher, ausser der Tod und Steuern.» "

Die versteckten Kosten des komplizierten Steuersystems: Ohne Abzüge könnte der Fiskus mit halbierten Steuersätzen gleich viel Einkommenssteuern einnehmen (behind paywall) In der Theorie weiss man, wie ein gutes Steuersystem aussehen sollte: möglichst breite Steuerbasis, möglichst tiefe Steuersätze. In der Praxis marschiert die Politik in die Gegenrichtung. Steuerabzüge erlauben die Privilegierung von Gruppen unter Verschleierung der Kosten.

Lower Taxes, Better Texas: Eliminating Property Taxes in Texas Through Buydown Over Time

I like that headline: Lower Taxes, Better Texas!

Lower Taxes, Better Texas: Eliminating Property Taxes in Texas Through Buydown Over Time

Bennett, Biden face intelligence sharing gap left by Netanyahu

Once more a sign of how smart former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not to trust a demented and senile 46th President and lifelong career politician with potentially critical Israeli Mossad intelligence information. 

Mossad is probably one of the preeminent intelligence services of the Western countries.

I bet, Israel is not the only country curtailing the sharing of intelligence service information with the administration of the 46th President. How about the British Secret Intelligence Service?

"... Netanyahu worked closely with the administration of former President Donald Trump, but when Biden assumed office, intelligence sharing between the two countries was significantly reduced, according to the report. ..."

Bennett, Biden face intelligence sharing gap left by Netanyahu - report - The Jerusalem Post Benjamin Netanyahu decreased intelligence sharing once Joe Biden took office amid mistrust of US officials.

Bernardo de Galvez, Spanish Hero of the American Revolution

Very recommendable! We know so much about the French (Marquis de Lafayette) and Polish contributions (Casimir de Pulaski, Tadeusz Kościuszko), but much less about the Spanish contributions!

Bernardo de Galvez "is one of only eight people to have been awarded honorary United States citizenship."

Louis Armstrong - When The Saints Go Marching In

Enjoy! Satchmo! With an Asian looking Philippine boy at the drums!

Probably, the 46th President of the U.S. could use some saints to march into Afghanistan! 😄

Boston - More Than a Feeling

Ok, it is an original video! However, they forgot to remaster it! Unfortunately, poor sound quality!

Enjoy nevertheless! I close my eyes and she slipped away ...

Corona-Wahlkampf: „Es gibt keine epidemische Notlage in Deutschland“

Empfehlenswert! "Ein Triumph von Unvernunft!" "In einem Tunnel des Wahnsinns!"

Can CRISPR cure Sickle-cell Disease?

Good news! When will be e.g. permanently remove the sneeze gene?

Jan van Eyck's self portrait in 10 minutes or less | National Gallery

Very recommendable!

Steve Turley: Is Taiwan Next?!?

Very recommendable! E.g. has China adopted something like a Monroe doctrine? I blogged here about this subject!

Greg Kelly calls for complete, top-to-bottom overhaul of the U.S. armed forces leaders

How many four star generals in the U.S. military are inept? Greg Kelly presents half a dozen and more! Would these clowns including the current defense secretary even be able to win any war?

Kristi Noem Says 'I Will Oppose' Biden's Vaccine Mandates

Bravo! She is a living Ms. Libertas (Statue of Liberty)! Will she become a presidential candidate in 2024? Hope so!

Klimaschau: Ist wirklich der Klimawandel an Dürre und Hungersnot in Madagaskar Schuld?

Sehr empfehlenswert!

Emerging Properties in Self-Supervised Vision Transformers

This is a very impressive work on visual transformers by Facebook! It has already garnered 67 citations as of 8/25/2021 according to Microsoft Academic and it was only published end of April 2021.

From the abstract:

"... Beyond the fact that adapting self-supervised methods to this architecture works particularly well, we make the following observations: first, self-supervised ViT features contain explicit information about the semantic segmentation of an image, which does not emerge as clearly with supervised ViTs, nor with convnets. Second, these features are also excellent k-NN classifiers, reaching 78.3% top-1 on ImageNet with a small ViT. Our study also underlines the importance of momentum encoder, multi-crop training, and the use of small patches with ViTs. ..."

[2104.14294] Emerging Properties in Self-Supervised Vision Transformers

Delta Air Lines to Impose $200 Monthly Charge on Unvaccinated Employees, Add Testing Requirements

This is pure chicanery! Stigmatizing the unvaccinated humans is unconscionable! Shameful!

Time to boycott Delta Airlines!

"... Unvaccinated workers must also undergo weekly Covid-19 testing and wear masks indoors ..."

Delta Air Lines to Impose $200 Monthly Charge on Unvaccinated Employees, Add Testing Requirements - WSJ

US Army decides to buy U.S. Dynetics Enduring Shield instead of Israel's Iron Dome interceptor system

This could be a momentous decision! Have you ever heard of the Dynetics Enduring Shield system? Where is it deployed and actively used in war zones?

US Army decides not to buy Israel's Iron Dome interceptor system - The Jerusalem Post 'Defense News' said the US Army chose the Dynetics Enduring Shield instead of Iron Dome following a shoot-off between the two missile defense systems.

Dynetics unveils Enduring Shield, its solution for the US Army to counter cruise missiles (6/4/2021)

The Jewish doctor who escaped the Nazis and founded the Paralympics

What a great idea to give disabled people an opportunity to compete like non-disabled people! This is very inspiring to see what disabled people are capable of doing!

I am not at all surprised that a Jewish man founded the games. Yiddish: Ein Mensch sein!

"... That evening [Kristallnacht], 64 people came to the [Breslau Jewish Hospital] seeking refuge from the pogrom and the Gestapo. Guttmann admitted them all. The next morning he was called down to the hospital by the SS.

“I went to the hospital and there were three SS officers sitting there,” Guttmann recounted. “‘Sixty-four people were admitted. How can you explain this?’ I discussed every case, and of course I invented all kinds of diagnoses, you see. Out of the 64 people, I saved 60.” ..."

The Jewish doctor who escaped the Nazis and founded the Paralympics - The Jerusalem Post Unlike the Olympic Games, the Paralympics have an inspiring Jewish origin story — thanks to its founder, Ludwig Guttmann.

Höchstes Urteil: Arbeitszeugnis darf nicht wie Schulzeugnis aussehen

Was für ein Schwachsinn passiert in der Bananenrepublik Deutschland! Damit befasst sich das höchste Arbeitsgericht! Was für eine Verschwendung von Ressourcen! Sind diese Richter geistig umnachtet?

Welcher deutscher Kleinkrämergeist hat sich hier wiedermal offenbart!

Andere kürzliche, sehr fragwürdige, zum Teil sehr realitätsferne, Entscheidungen höchster deutscher Gerichte, z.B. das Klimawahnurteil (hier, hier) oder das der BND nicht in Afghanistan spionieren darf des Bundesverfassungsgerichts.

In einem freien Land sollte wohl die Form des Arbeitszeugnisses dem Arbeitgeber überlassenen werden!

"Ein Arbeitszeugnis darf nach einem Urteil des Bundesarbeitsgerichts nicht wie ein Schulzeugnis gestaltet sein. Die angemessene Beurteilung eines Arbeitnehmers lasse sich nicht in Tabellenform, sondern regelmäßig nur durch „ein im Fließtext formuliertes Arbeitszeugnis“ herausstellen, entschied das Bundesarbeitsgericht in Erfurt in einem am Mittwoch veröffentlichten Urteil. (AZ: 9 AZR 262/20)"

Urteil: Arbeitszeugnis darf nicht wie Schulzeugnis aussehen

One of the Biggest Welfare State Expansions in US History Just Got Approved By the House

Horrible! Big Government spending like there is no tomorrow! Out of control government spending! When big government displaces private charity!

Tax credits maximization for low income women with as many children as is possible! And much more of this nonsense!

Tuition-free community colleges and the list of voter bribes goes on and on!

One of the Biggest Welfare State Expansions in US History Just Got Approved By the House - Foundation for Economic Education And the whopping $3.5 trillion price tag could even be an underestimate.

Meet the fly that turns human food waste into proteins and more

Interesting proposal!

The larvae munches human food waste and produces lots of protein!

"... But the larvae [Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens] are chock full of protein – up to 50% of their dry weight – and can be turned into a variety of products.

The main one is insect protein meal that can replace fish meal, which is widely used as a source of feed for pigs, poultry and aquaculture. ...
In the European Union ... “there is a complete ban on burying food waste in landfills” since it generates large amounts of methane ...

In addition to larvae-derived fish and animal feed, Entoprotech is developing protein products based on black soldier fly bioactives for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

That’s because the larvae produce antibacterial peptides that can replace current antibiotics in human and veterinary applications. ...
The final product coming out of Entoprotech’s process is poop. ... Entoprotech converts the poop into 100% organic fertilizer. ..."

Meet the fly that could help save the planet - ISRAEL21c Black soldier fly larvae are chock full of protein, and they can clear greenhouse gases. One Israeli company is harnessing the insect’s diverse capabilities.

Milestone: Over 5 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered worldwide

According to Johns Hopkins University Resource Center we have reached this milestone. Contrast this with total world population of abut 7.9 billion.

According to the United Nations were at 4.6 billion doses.

Only around July 31, 2021, we reached the 4 billion doses milestone! Within less than a months 1 billion more doses were administered!

Anyway, this achievement is so mind blowing! This is an enormous game changer in the history of mankind! 

Work management platform Trello introduces no-code automation features

Very impressive how fast and how comprehensive software development practices like workflow management are changing!

Work management platform Trello introduces no-code automation features | VentureBeat

Understanding autoimmune disease by unmasking the pancreas

Recommendable!

"In a recent study ... tracked the movements of T cells that attack beta cells. These T cells find the beta cells by targeting preproinsulin, the precursor molecule to insulin.

To their surprise, the researchers discovered these T cells gather in the pancreas in nearly everyone, not just people with type 1 diabetes. Then the T cells wait. The T cells should move into the islets like hyenas, but for some reason, they can’t see their prey until some unknown event forces the islets or beta cells to “unmask” themselves. ...

Using a mouse model of type 1 diabetes, the researchers found that beta cells die off in patches that match up with where the cells are “innervated,” meaning sensitized by nerves that branch out to the pancreas.

The team found that blocking the nerve signals protected mice from beta cell death. “If the innervation is not occurring—like if you cut the nerves—then the organ remains invisible,”  ...

This discovery has led ... to consider nerves as the triggers for other organ-specific autoimmune diseases. He points out that other autoimmune diseases show patterns of patchy cell death that may be linked to innervation. ..."

"... Many of the pre-existing “dogmas”, mostly derived from studies of animal models and sometimes limited human samples, have to be revised now. For example, we have learned that autoreactive CD8 T cells are present even in healthy individuals within the exocrine pancreas. Furthermore, their “attraction” to islets probably relies on beta-cell intrinsic events, such as the over-expression of MHC class I and resulting presentation of autoantigens such as (prepro)insulin. In addition, we are discovering other signs of beta-cell dysfunction, possibly at least in part due to stress, such as the over-expression of certain cytokines. ..."

Understanding autoimmune disease by unmasking the pancreas

Following two studies appear to be referenced in the above article:

New Insights Into the Role of Autoreactive CD8 T Cells and Cytokines in Human Type 1 Diabetes (open access)

Means, Motive, and Opportunity: Do Non-Islet-Reactive Infiltrating T Cells Contribute to Autoimmunity in Type 1 Diabetes? (open access)

Opium Suppression in Afghanistan Was a US-Led Failure

The Cato Institute (a libertarian think tank) comes up with their explanation of the Western debacle in Afghanistan!

You have to admire naive libertarians for always trying to sell the legalization of opioids and other drugs no matter what the circumstances!

"Suppressing Opium in Afghanistan Played a Role in the Country’s Collapse

No single factor can explain the recent swift collapse of the US-backed Afghan government. But one underappreciated mistake has been Washington’s long‐running effort to suppress the cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan and, in turn, the production of heroin and other opioids."

Opium Suppression in Afghanistan Was a US-Led Failure | Cato Institute The basics of supply and demand still applied.

Group to file lawsuit Wednesday against wind farm planned for waters off Martha's Vineyard

There seems to be a persistent rumor that former president Obama is among those who filed this suit otherwise the guests of his coming parties would be disappointed.

As they say not in my backyard (NMBY)!

Group to file lawsuit Wednesday against wind farm planned for waters off Martha's Vineyard (behind paywall)

P.S. This post is meant to be a joke!

Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft propagiert Klima-Klubs!

Unter der Leitung des Ladenhüters Michael Hüther werden immer wieder abscheuliche, freie marktwirtschaftsfeindliche  Vorschläge gemacht! 

Ludwig Erhard und Walter Eucken sind schon lange tot. Ihre Vorstellungen zur freien Marktwirtschaft wurden mit begraben.

Das Institut ist auch dem Klimawahn erlegen! Daher fördert es tatkräftig sozialistische Planwirtschaft um den Grünen Ökosozialisten zu gefallen! 

Hier ein Auszug:

"... Alle Mitglieder müssen ein einheitliches Datum für das Erreichen der Klimaneutralität vereinbaren – das wäre der erste Schritt, um vergleichbare Wettbewerbsbedingungen herzustellen.
Ein einheitliches Preisniveau für CO2-Emissionen schafft gleiche Wettbewerbsbedingungen in allen teilnehmenden Ländern und Sektoren. Damit wird vergleichbarer Klimaschutz betrieben, ohne dass ein Land seine Industrie durch niedrigere Kosten bevorteilt. ..."

Nur so wird die Initiative ein Erfolg Das Bundeskabinett beschäftigt sich heute mit der Idee eines Klima-Klubs. Die Initiative ist wichtig und richtig, allerdings kann der Klub nur erfolgreich sein, wenn fünf wichtige Voraussetzungen erfüllt sind. Das wird nicht einfach.

The Tech Billionaire Who Became the King of SPACs

Is SPAC for you? Do you have SPAC fever? Buyer beware!

Peinlich-Wahlkampfsong – „Für wie infantil halten uns die Grünen eigentlich?“

Köstlich! In der Bananenrepublik Deutschland ist Superwahljahr!

Since April, the 46th President was sleeping at the switch regarding the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban

This is a great time lapse video by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies how fast the Taliban conquered entire Afghanistan within four months! This was a Blitzkrieg conducted by a rag tag army!

Did the Pentagon and the CIA not notice? Why were the Western citizens and their Afghan allies not evacuated earlier?

Weekly time lapse video of the Taliban’s Advance | Apr 13 to Present

Australia painted as a ‘dystopian nightmare’ as footage goes viral

Indeed, strange and disturbing things going on in Down Under! Who would have thought that such authoritarianism was possible in Australia!

Tucker Carlson: GOP senator Lindsey Graham has helped Biden reshape the federal courts

Yes, Lindsey Graham, a terrible RINO, must be booted with the next elections! He also voted with 18 other GOP Senators for the awful so called Biden infrastructure plan!

Joe Biden Caves to Taliban: Sticks with August 31 Withdrawal Deadline

Great headline! So the Taliban came out of their caves to conquer Afghanistan in a Blitzkrieg like approach and the demented and senile 46th President of the U.S. caves to their authority! Can you picture this!

Biden is fast becoming one of the worst U.S. presidents since 1945!
I blogged here about his last chance to become a great president!

"... The Taliban reportedly met with CIA Director William Burns on Monday who negotiated face-to-face with Taliban leader and co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar. They do not appear to have reached any agreement.

Mujahid [Taliban spokesman] said he was “not aware” the CIA met with the Taliban, “but he did not deny that such a meeting took place,” the Associated Press observed. The CIA would neither confirm nor deny the negotiation. ..."

Joe Biden Caves to Taliban: Sticks with August 31 Withdrawal Deadline President Joe Biden on Tuesday caved to the Taliban and pledged to honor the August 31 withdrawal deadline for U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

How Airbnb is Stepping Up to House up to 20,000 Afghan Refugees at no cost

Bravo! Way to go Airbnb! Two thumbs up!

"... Across the globe, charities and companies are stepping up to help the Afghan people, with app-based lodging/rental company Airbnb offering the latest example. In an announcement this morning, Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said that the company will help house 20,000 Afghan refugees at no cost.

“Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free,” Chesky wrote on Twitter. “While we will be paying for these stays, we could not do this without the generosity of our Hosts. If you’re willing to host a refugee family, reach out and I’ll connect you with the right people here to make it happen!” ..."

How Airbnb is Stepping Up to Help Afghan Refugees - Foundation for Economic Education Free markets and free people can step up to solve problems—when given the chance.

Corona: Forscher finden Angriffspunkt für Medikamente im Erbgut

Sehr empfehlenswert!

Human ingenuity eventually defeats any virus!

"Biochemiker der Goethe-Universität haben zusammen mit internationalen Kollegen mehrere Schwachstellen im Erbgut von SARS-CoV-2 entdeckt, die sich als Angriffspunkte für Medikamente eignen könnten. Die Wissenschaftler um Harald Schwalbe wiesen nach, dass mehrere kleine Moleküle an bestimmten Sequenzen des Virusgenoms andocken können, die fast nie durch Mutationen verändert werden. Diese Entdeckung ließe sich nutzen, um die Vermehrung des Erregers in Körperzellen zu hemmen.
Das Forscherkonsortium identifizierte zunächst 15 kurze Abschnitte auf dem RNA-Strang von SARS-CoV-2, die sich in ähnlicher Form auch bei anderen Coronaviren finden. Diese Sequenzen haben vermutlich wichtige regulatorische Funktionen. Virusproben aus dem vergangenen Jahr zeigten, dass diese Stellen nur äußerst selten von Mutationen betroffen waren. ..."

"SARS-CoV-2 contains a positive single-stranded RNA genome of approximately 30 000 nucleotides. Within this genome, 15 RNA elements were identified as conserved between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. By nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we previously determined that these elements fold independently, in line with data from in vivo and ex-vivo structural probing experiments. These elements contain non-base-paired regions that potentially harbor ligand-binding pockets. Here, we performed an NMR-based screening of a poised fragment library of 768 compounds for binding to these RNAs, employing three different 1H-based 1D NMR binding assays. The screening identified common as well as RNA-element specific hits. The results allow selection of the most promising of the 15 RNA elements as putative drug targets. Based on the identified hits, we derive key functional units and groups in ligands for effective targeting of the RNA of SARS-CoV-2."

Corona: Forscher finden Angriffspunkt für Medikamente im Erbgut In der Erbsubstanz von SARS-CoV-2 gibt es Abschnitte, die so gut wie nie durch Mutationen verändert werden. Dort könnten Medikamente gegen das Virus angreifen, wie Frankfurter Forscher gezeigt haben.

Exploring the Druggability of Conserved RNA Regulatory Elements in the SARS-CoV-2 Genome (open access)

How the coronavirus infects cells

Very recommendable, but the headline is way too alarmist! Stunning research into and images of our foe unraveling some of the minute dynamics of how this virus operates.

Human ingenuity eventually defeats any virus!

"... Many viruses have glycans covering their outer proteins, camouflaging them from the human immune system like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But last year, [researcher's] laboratory group and collaborators created the most detailed visualization yet of this coat, based on structural and genetic data and rendered atom-by-atom by a supercomputer. ...
In [researcher]’s simulation, when the RBD [receptor binding domain] lifted up above the glycan cloud, two glycans swooped in to lock it into place, like a kickstand on a bicycle. When [researcher] mutated the glycans in the computer model, the RBD collapsed. [researcher]’s team built a way to try the same experiment in the lab, and by June 2020, the collaborators had reported that mutating the two glycans reduced the ability of the spike protein to bind to a human cell receptor — a role that no one has previously recognized in coronaviruses ...
What has emerged from 19 months of work, backed by decades of coronavirus research, is a blow-by-blow account of how SARS-CoV-2 invades human cells (see ‘Life cycle of the pandemic coronavirus’). Scientists have discovered key adaptations that help the virus to grab on to human cells with surprising strength and then hide itself once inside. Later, as it leaves cells, SARS-CoV-2 executes a crucial processing step to prepare its particles for infecting even more human cells."

How the coronavirus infects cells — and why Delta is so dangerous Scientists are unpicking the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and how the virus uses tricks to evade detection.

Sprinkling basalt over soil could remove huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Recommendable! No hurry to buy an electric car! 😄

"Sprinkling powdered basalt over natural ecosystems would remove vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere while also improving soils. That’s the finding of a new study that evaluates this proposed geoengineering scheme and estimates the costs involved. ..."

"... Here we explore soil amendment with powdered basalt in natural ecosystems. Basalt is an abundant rock resource, which reacts with CO2 and removes it from the atmosphere. Besides, basalt improves soil fertility and thereby potentially enhances ecosystem carbon storage, rendering a global CO2 removal of basalt substantially larger than previously suggested. ..."

Sprinkling basalt over soil could remove huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – Physics World

Potential CO2 removal from enhanced weathering by ecosystem responses to powdered rock (no public access, however above article contains link to PDF)

FAQ on Biden's Extension of the Eviction Moratorium

Recommendable! What the demented and senile 46th President and lifelong career politician did was unlawful and unconstitutional! An impeachable offense!

This is an act of expropriation! This is unamerican!

"... The CDC’s eviction moratorium shifts the pandemic’s financial burdens from the nation’s 30 to 40 million renters to its 10 to 11 million landlords— most of whom are individuals and small businesses. In litigation documents, landlord associations claim they’re losing between $13.8 and $19 billion each month in unpaid rent. In late May, the Urban Institute estimated the amount of back rent then-owed to be about $50 billion. ..."

FAQ on Biden's Extension of the Eviction Moratorium | Cato at Liberty Blog

Grüne Pedalenpauschale

Die Bananenrepublik hat viel mit dem Der Komödienstadel gemeinsam! Die Gartenzwerge regieren!

Natürlich, die vielen Esel der Grünen Partei brauchen Lastenfahrräder! (Ia-Ia-Ia-Oh)

Die Kirchtumpolitik der Grünen Partei ist skurril! 

#lastenrad - Grüne Pedalenpauschale | Cicero Online Die Grünen wollen den Kauf von Lastenräder mit 1.000 Euro subventionieren. Viele sehen in dem Zuschuss nur eine Wohltat für die Stammwählerschaft – ein Klientelkonfekt für die Vertreter eines Urban Lifestyles. Für die jedenfalls scheint ein kostengünstiger Fahrradanhänger nicht hip genug zu sein.

Biden calls on companies to mandate vaccines following FDA full approval

The 46th President is not only demented and senile, he is authoritarian too! What a dangerous fool! 

"Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof." (Inscription on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia). Presumably, the 46th President never stopped by on his many Amtrak train trips between Washington DC and Delaware! 

There is no need for such government mandates or for government to put such pressure on private companies! SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 is a very infectious, but relatively harmless disease! Anyone, who wishes to get vaccinated is free to do so! Herd immunity has most likely already been achieved in the U.S. by July 2021. 

I would not work for a company that requires me to get vaccinated!  Reason to resign! Simple as that! Hospitals and senior care facilities are perhaps an exception.

"President Biden called on companies to mandate COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, voicing strong support for such requirements following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. 

“Today I’m calling on more companies in the private sector to step up the vaccine requirements that’ll reach millions more people,” Biden said during an address. “If you’re a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that.” ..."

Biden calls on companies to mandate vaccines following FDA full approval | TheHill

CIA Director William Burns held secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar

Update 8/24/2021: Fox news is saying the the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee was not briefed on the visit of the CIA director!

Bizarre things are going on in the administration of the demented and senile 46th President of the U.S. and lifetime career politician.

Since when do CIA Directors negotiate with foreign adversaries?

Why did not a U.S. military general conduct the negotiations with the Taliban?

"CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting Monday in Kabul with the Taliban’s de facto leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the militants seized the Afghan capital, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. ..."

CIA Director William Burns held secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar - The Washington Post